The Baja Culinary Fest 2012 is coming!

After attending the press conference for the 2012 Baja California Culinary Fest, we could not be more excited! We drove up to Los Angeles, and had the pleasure of meeting Chef John Sedlar at his beautiful restaurant Rivera, where the event was held. He hosted the event along with Bill Esparza, and Baja Tourism representatives. You could feel the overwhelming enthusiasm and passion for Baja California filling up the room. Bill gives off this extremely contagious vibe of love for Baja, and lights up just speaking about it. Juan Tintos Funcke, Baja Secretary of Tourism, and Chef Miguel Angel Guerrero also spoke to all of the attendees, just fueling up everyone even more.

After the presentation we all got to mingle eating and drinking. Each and every bite was just prepping your taste buds for the gastronomic adventure that the Baja Culinary fest will be. What better way then to wash down the delicious food with some Baja wines and craft beers. Below you will see the bite size wonders that we got to taste. It started off with an Ahi Tuna tostadita topped with avocado, and a 9 chile sauce. Following that was a fresh oyster shot. To me the most unique of the afternoon was the corn flan with black quinoa and squash blossoms. It was the texture of custard, but the full blown flavors of a tamal. It really was something else. The chipotle chicken cone was a nice addition to the fresh seafood bites, with its heat and smokiness. The final tasting was a yellow tail tostadita. All of these just increased my appetite, and immediately had me thinking of crossing the border to Tijuana for a meal, as soon as we drove back home.

Whether you have not had the chance to make a trip down to Baja, or just want to have incredible food and drinks, the Baja Culinary fest is the perfect opportunity. So come down and join in on all of the fun celebrating the bounty and gems of Baja California from October 11-14 2012. Tijuana, Rosarito, Ensenada, El Valle de Guadalupe, Mexicali, Tecate, and San Felipe will all host events over the course of the three days.